Let’s talk about the bursary being brought back in next year. This is fantastic news! It will encourage so many to join the profession and give them the financial support they need and, quite frankly, deserve.
However, I do feel as a student who started the course the first year that the bursary was stopped and will qualify the year it is reinstated that some sort of reimbursement should be made. Everyone on this course is doing it out of a place of kindness and care, no one would continue otherwise given the challenging situations we are often working in, bursary or not. Those without the bursary, like myself, have been self-funding and have found it hard.
I have found it challenging and I am lucky enough to be living with my parents and not paying rent. Imagine how difficult it is for those who are having to support a family or pay rent or pay towards a mortgage! Just to give you an example, this week I have worked five days out of six (one of them being a bank shift which I booked by choice to have a little bit of money coming in). That’s a total of 62.5 hours and I will be paid for just 11.5 of those hours. I have paid £25 for car parking and roughly £25 in petrol. Therefore, even a small reimbursement will help a great deal.
I am in no way complaining about my course, I knew what I was committing myself to and I wouldn’t change what I am doing for the world. I am merely sharing the voice of 2017 cohorts!
I have linked the petition below, please sign if you can.
Love,
Anna
XOXO
